For blog post 8 we are asked to describe progress we've made on our Genius Hour in the past few weeks and how far we are into our Final Reflection project. In the past few weeks I have made little progress on the project, as I am practically done with it. All of my deadlines I have met and things appear to be going smoothly.
As for my final reflection, that too is complete and can be found on the main page of this Weebly. As noted in it, I do wish the project had turned out differently, but it is complete.
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With six Fridays left of Genius Hour, we are tasked with explaining how we will bring closure to our projects and how it directly impacted others. For "proof" of my project directly impacting others, I'll be asking who viewed my webpage for any information they learned from it, and how this has impacted their understanding of computers as a whole. I also wish to know if the webpage has been successful in sparking an interest in building computers in anyone.
For our genius hour blog post, we were assigned to read and summarize an article of our choosing about STEM. The article I read was Star Wars themed.In the article it is explained NIU (Norther Illinois University) held a STEM based class for younger kids, in order to get them interested in the prospect of working a STEM job in the future. While they have had classes in the past, the most recent 'Star Wars' themed class was the most attended. In the class, they discussed how the science in 'Star Wars' worked and built simple robots.
Many of the kids that attended the sold out class have said they have a lot of interest in going into a STEM related career thanks to this program. One girl said she was so excited and learned so much, she even build a robot that would move continuously in a circle. She can not wait to build a real light saber. Getting the kids interested in STEM by using 'Star Wars' is what drove many of them to continue to create robots and want to farther explore STEM. It is very important to get children interested in STEM related studies, as many have pointed out how basic technology skills is a necessity at this point, and its prominence in society will only grow in the future. It is also estimated that STEM related careers will continue to increase in number. Hopefully in the future more students will chose to learn more STEM related subject and go into the corresponding career fields. For our first Genius Hour of 2017, we were tasked with reading the article "Is Genius Born or Can it be Learned?" In the article, author John Cloud shows many points arguing if "genius" is a genetic trait or simply a taught skill. Cloud's purpose for the article is to convince the reader genius is not a byproduct of genetics or learned behavior, rather a mix between the two. He also goes on to say that a high I.Q. is not necessary to be a genius or live a successful life.
The information that was stated in the article can be applied to my Genius Hour by changing my approach. Genius may be affected by your genetic traits and environment, two things you can't really control. However, it is argued that genius is also enthusiasm. The want to learn and apply the skills you learn. I know I don't need to have a high I.Q. in order to be a genius in my academics and project and be able to skip grades, but that doesn't mean I can't be a genius in my own way by studying hard and applying what I've learned to my life and future. Yesterday in class we watched a presentation by Mr. Cowen on how he created his own 3-D printer for Genius Hour. Throughout the presentation he interacted with the class by asking for questions and using actual printed models he brought in. He also showed how a confident stance, eye contact, and knowing your material can easily turn a mediocre presentation into an outstanding one. Once I have to present my Genius Hour Project in January, I plan to use his presentation as a reference. I hope to maintain eye contact with the audience (though that may be harder for me as I have stage fright) and have multiple mediums to use throughout the presentation, such as bringing in display models, preparing a fluid and fun presentation, and interact with the crowd.
The author of the article “How Geniuses Think” believes that genius is not just about a high IQ, like most would commonly believe. Instead, he believes that a genius is someone who can think of problems, and their solutions, differently.
Geniuses generally look at a problem, and instead of trying the first solution that comes to mind, they think of unconventional methods in order to solve problems. Geniuses also try to find relationships between things, and think in opposites. Genius Hour allows us to use some of these strategies. Instead of following the same basic instructions for this assignment, we are encouraged to think outside of the box and come up with unusual solutions to the problems that may be presented during this project. Link to article : How Geniuses Think For genius hour our assignment was to read an article about genius hour in other schools. In the article, many teachers talk about how their students first reacted to genius hour. Many were confused, while some had been overjoyed. The main premise of genius hour is to get students interested in their own projects, to research topics that interest them, not necessarily having something to do with schoolwork. The time allotted to genius hour in class is what many students look forward to each week. Genius hour has also helped students find out what interests them, as well as helping them overcome fears such as socializing and interviewing peers or writing formal letters to companies.
For my genius hour project, I won’t be directly involved with talking to others, but reading the article has changed how I may approach it, as the time given for the project will go by quickly and I may not be able to finish it in time unless I change some things. The article has also inspired me to research all I can about computers, and including things in the videos that I wasn’t even planning on. Link to article : Genius Hour For my first blog post, I will state my schedule for completing my genius hour project. The goal for this is to create a website that shows in detail how to build a computer, as well as any tips and tricks of getting the most out of a computer.
In order to carry this out, I plan to research computer building extensively, as well as write up how to carry out the various tasks involved in building and completing a computer in class. On weekends, I will record the actual process and publish videos. This process should take place until mid-November to the beginning December. The remaining time will be spent on showing the software side of the process, such as installing drivers, and any basic programs. Lastly I will attempt to show any peripherals that an average user may want for their computer, as well as how to install these. |
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